Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-11
7ROPICAL ERTITN
Ely >. ~. Wright.

"A tropical sun for year. then transplanted,
and in IL months il will bear bunch Of
bananas ready for market. After the bunch
has been removed, the tree is cut down Qfor,
like the pineapple, it bears fruit only once,
and one bunch to treo), chopped up with
a spade, and allowed to decay about the
roots of the sprouts coming up, as the de
caying leaves and stems of banana plan
/ tation furnish it with no small amount of
| fcrtlizing material The soil, rich, deep
and moist, soon sends up two leaves tightly
rolled together, until the green roll has
/ grown two or three feet, when the blade
unfolds These leaves are followed 10y 9th
| ers, until the stems of the leaves have form
| ed a smooth trunk some eight or ten inches
thick and from 10 to 20 feet high, composed
| wholly of lenves In about eight or ten
/ months according to location. condition Of
| soil and weather, the fruitug of the banana
/ begins, the female flowers appearing first ON
/ the stem. and near the end the smaller male
/ flowers, both full Of honey. During the
| process of ripening the male flowers wither
and drop of. while the female blossoms de
velop into bananas At the end of the stalk
/ appears a deep purple bud which hangs
| down like huge heart As the purple en-
| vclope of the bud falls of, rows of minia-
/ ture bananas are disclosed, extending two
/ thirds around the stem. Each young bana
ma has a waxen yellow blossom with large
| projecting stigma at the end. These bios
SONS look much like fat ears Of corn with
red husks The hlsks lift slowly up onSaf-
ter the other. as though hinged at the top,
| revealing the strange, uld-loDking fingers
of bananas ranged beneath them. Each
| leaf of the husk drop, of after it has done
| its duty in protecting the young fruit from
/ the sun for day or two then the next
in order Of descent RAISES the lid from its
row Of fruit, "a row making it, appearance
about each week, until the bunch is com
/ pleted, which sometime, contains as many
a. - to - hands or rows, it requiring from
two To four months to mature. The red
! husks, brighter inside than out, are about
/ the shape of long pickle-dish and retain
| their ,tifInr,, for days They will hold a
cupful of water. aud make beautiful bouquet
holders that one can hardly tell from the
| finest Japanese red lacquer ware The
number of bananas IN a cluster varies great
| ly. according to the variety of plant rich
ness Of soil and locality where grown. The
! yellow varieties have the largest count. The
largest bunch OF yellow bananas ever saw
contained nearly 300 large. full-grown ban
| anas.
] ln.a If La. int. -itrbf in ha
| tropics i 10 watch the unfolding Of the ban
ana leaf. At first appears Il green staff,
which is almost a surprise to the eye, 81 sud
denly does it emerge from the base Of the
| cluster. II may bee six or seven feet long
and a. perfect and as round ~ a walking
cane. green in color, and tapering at the
| top, and when fully opened is "a beautiful
| transparent green. reaching It's full glory
about the third day In speaking Of the
| beauties If the giant banana leaves | am
reminded OF AN enthusiastic son of Erin,
| who, having visited the tropics, related an
/ impression made upon him when he first
| bcheld a banana grove Using about these
| words he sad Having come suddenly
upon a banana grove, | bowed us before
| shrine, and shed tears, gushing tears, not
of agony and distress, but of gratitude and
I joy "a, those broad green leaves brought Ia
| my memory friends and home far away /;
/ and ~ / looked again over those acres Of
/ -waying palms, It seemed a. If before me
was a vast forest Of Irish flags, reminding
me of my native land and that emerald
| banner loved 50 well.
! Among all known plants that produce
| wholesome and agreeable food, the banana
offers the greatest return for the least la
Dor. Life being So easily sustained 10y its
| bounty in those favored regions where it
| iourishes. one of the chief incentives to
eXertion is removed, and people are content
To sit down in idleness, knowing that when
hungry neverfailing supply Of bread
hangs over them, ready to be plucked and
eaten for which reason it is dehatable
question whether the banana and plantain
are not to he considered a curse rather than
"A blessing to mankind, as encouraging in
activity instead Of industry and progress, -
for 81 long as a native darkey of the tropics
has a handful of rice aud piece of tobacco
the size of his thumb you can hardly induce
him to work at any price Having but few
artificial wants To supply, he has no need
| for money, a coffee sack furnishing him
with a years wearing apparel
As an article Of food the banana is very
nutritious and wholesome, furnishing the
staple article of diet for many families in
the tropics. II is eaten cooked or raw. 1t
is said that many Mexican tribes subsist al
most entirely upon its -four or paste, which
is made by cutting the banana in strips,
| drying it, and pounding it into a paste. In
Jamaica a very superior farina is made
from it. 1t is sliced when green, dried in
the sun, beaten into powder and sifted.
1t is used largely 10y the negroes, who feed
their babies with it and speak highly of its
nutritious properties When made into
pap or Johnny cake, - it is excellent food
for the most delicate stomach. Humboldt
tells MS that the banana contains 10 times as
much nutriment as the potato, and that
surface bearing wheat enough 10 feed one
man will, when planted with bananas, feed
% men, The young shoots are cooked as
greens and said to be much relished by those
who have eaten them. In India the natives
serve it up in many ways. A favorite dish
is prepared by removing the skins from n
number of thoroughly ripe bananas or plan
tains, mashing them, and mixing with them
fine wheaton flour, sufficient quantity of
sugar, and little pounded cardamon seed
milk and water is then added and the mix
ture formed into small cakes, which, when
fried in olive OIL are said 10 be highly nu-
tritious and palatable. In India the rind of
the banana is greedily eaten by all manner
of live stock, when mixed with straw, oil
cake and other ingredients, and is looked
upon as valuable stock food Bananas are
largely used as AN article of food for table
dessert by Southern hotels and families.
They make delicious addition to ice cream,
sliced thin and stirred in just as the cream
is beginning to freeze or they may be serv-
ed with it without being frozen To have
them nice they should be cut up and set ON
ice about AN hour before serving On ship
board they are largely used, being made into
pies, buildings, shortcake and fritters. They
are also dried in slices for export, resem-
] hllHS IA oppSttiiil'N q NlANh ANiiAAAN hhN W
the present time they have not met with
favor in this country From the banana
All excellent starch -four farina, sugar,
wine and vinegar is also obtained
The young leaf contains healing quality
useful for cuts or bruises.
From the stalk and leaf is obtained IA
beautiful silken fibre, from which can be
made IA fine dress goods said to closely re
semble Irish poplin, and when suitable ma